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I am presently customer of the old Clearwire for home internet service. By twist of fate, there are no other high-speed internet providers in my area - NOTHING! - unless you consider satellite services. Clearwire was reluctant to give me a CLEAR EXPRESS HUB and sign me up originally because my home is literally shown to be in a marginal area of service. My lot was shown to be covered but not the adjacent lots (not sure how that happens?). Anyway, they gave me the modem and I experience around 6 Mbps downloads and 1 Mbps uploads (with an outside antenna). For someone coming off dial-up and satellite (Wildblue) these speeds were terrific! I am happy! I understand my service is not as good as many others, but for this area it is fabulous!
With the recent announcements that Clearwire's Wimax service will be phased out by the end of 2015 - I am on pins and needles waiting for the other shoe to drop. I live in Canal Winchester (suburb of Columbus, OH) and would be devastated If I lost my Clearwire service and we are not part of some Sprint LTE upgrade that will allow us to obtain high-speed internet when Clearwire goes away
Why isn't Sprint more open about their future plans to provide service to areas they acquired from Clearwire, including types of services and time frames other then generalities that I sometimes see published. The tower I ping off of is located in Columbus (moderate density housing) and I have to believe that Columbus (15th largest city in the USA) would be near the top. The tower is 3 to 4 miles away.

I received an email from Clearwire today that my old $37.50 rate per device (I have two) will increase by $5 on my next billing cycle. Okay, I have been (Ab)using Clear for many years and the $10 or $120 a year a still better compared to other wireless providers.

I found this while looking at FreedomPop's site and followed some of the links. It seems like that FP is part of connect2compete.org and they offer services for schools and other non-profits via mobilecitizen.org.
Now I found this on their website:
Mobile Citizen's wireless broadband is powered by WiMAX, a 4G technology from CLEAR. In 2006, CLEAR entered into a 30-year excess capacity agreement with the five EBS licensees which established Mobile Citizen. This agreement allows Mobile Citizen to offer advanced mobile broadband service exclusively to schools and nonprofits, helping to further learning and productivity by providing internet access beyond the classroom or office. Mobile Citizen has been providing its low-cost mobile Internet services since 2009.
----
Now their prices are really great and $120 for unlimited Internet is not bad. But will they transistion to LTE eventually or will Sprint / Clearwire keep some WiMax runnung which covers their EBS licensees?

Huawei DBS 3900 TD-LTE / Wimax eRAN Equipment
The following photographs are pictures of Huawei dual mode capable Wimax / TD-LTE RRU (remote radio units) as part of a DBS 3900 series setup. These equipment were originally made for the Clearwire Wimax deployment and are now being re-purposed via software upgrades to enable TD-LTE capabilities.
The Huawei equipment currently used by Clearwire are temporary and will be replaced by one of the TD-LTE vendors (Samsung / Alcatel-lucent / Nokia Solutions & Networks ) in the near future.
As of 2017, all Huawei equipment has been decommissioned.
Huawei RRU 3702 + Antennae
Huawei RRU
More
Credits to Whomever took these photographs - you know who you are ;-)
.FCC

I was searching around today looking for a LTE tower and found this clearwire tower. It is across the street from 11110 W 144th Terrace, Overland Park, KS 66221. Sorry, this is as close as I could get with my cell phone.
What signals would it have?

So now that Sprint purchased all remaining shares of Clearwire what is going to happen? Will they re-purpose the towers into its own LTE network? Or are they going to keep it a separate network and just leave it as is/add more towers?
Now that WiMax will be a type of LTE i hope they just use all these towers on Sprints network and start filling out the roll out!

Update: Full Article as referenced from Globe Newswire @ Seeking Alpha http://seekingalpha....nsaction-update
BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearwire (CLWR) (Nasdaq:CLWR) today announced that it has received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal (the "DISH Proposal") from DISH Network Corporation ("DISH"). The DISH Proposal, as further summarized below, provides for DISH to purchase certain spectrum assets from Clearwire, enter into a commercial agreement with Clearwire, acquire up to all of Clearwire's common stock for $3.30 per share (subject to minimum ownership of at least 25% and granting of certain governance rights) and provide Clearwire with financing on specified terms.
The DISH Proposal is only a preliminary indication of interest and is subject to numerous, material uncertainties and conditions, including the negotiation of multiple contractual arrangements being requested by DISH (some of which, as currently proposed, may not be permitted under the terms of Clearwire's current legal and contractual obligations). It is also subject to regulatory approval.
As previously announced on December 17, 2012, Clearwire has entered into a definitive agreement with Sprint Nextel Corporation ("Sprint") for Sprint to acquire the approximately 50 percent stake in Clearwire it does not already own for $2.97 per share (the "Sprint Agreement"). Clearwire's ability to enter into strategic transactions is significantly limited by its current contractual arrangements, including the Sprint Agreement and its existing Equityholders' Agreement.
The Special Committee of the Clearwire Board of Directors (the "Special Committee") has determined that its fiduciary duties require it to engage with DISH to discuss, negotiate and/or provide information in connection with the DISH Proposal. The Special Committee has not made any determination to change its recommendation of the current Sprint transaction. Consistent with its obligations under the Sprint Agreement, Clearwire has provided Sprint with notice, and the material terms, of the DISH Proposal, and received a response from Sprint that is described below.
DISH had, prior to the announcement of the Sprint Agreement, provided Clearwire with a preliminary indication of interest solely with respect to acquiring certain of Clearwire's spectrum assets, on substantially the same pricing per MHz-POP as the spectrum purchase included in the DISH Proposal described below, and entering into a commercial agreement. Although Clearwire worked with DISH prior to the execution of the Sprint Agreement to improve the overall terms of that proposal, the Special Committee of the Clearwire Board determined that the Sprint transaction was, for a number of reasons, a more-attractive alternative for Clearwire's non-Sprint Class A stockholders than a transaction with DISH at that time and on the terms then-proposed by DISH.
Summary of DISH Proposal
The following is a summary of the material terms of the proposal:
Spectrum Purchase. DISH would acquire from Clearwire spectrum covering approximately 11.4 billion MHz-POPs ("Spectrum Assets"), representing approximately 24% of Clearwire's total MHz pops of spectrum, for aggregate net cash proceeds to Clearwire of approximately $2.2 billion (the "Spectrum Purchase Price"). The net cash proceeds are prior to any adjustment for potential tax liabilities which are likely to arise from the sale of spectrum assets even after utilizing the existing net operating losses. At DISH's option, Clearwire would also sell or lease up to an additional 2 MHz of Clearwire's spectrum to DISH from a channel that is adjacent to the Spectrum Assets at a price to be calculated in the same manner as the Spectrum Assets.
Commercial Agreement. Clearwire would, at DISH's request, provide certain commercial services to DISH, including the construction, operation, maintenance, and management of a wireless network covering AWS-4 spectrum and new deployments of 2.5 GHz spectrum.
Acquisition of Clearwire Shares; Governance. DISH would make an offer to Clearwire's stockholders to purchase up to all of Clearwire's outstanding shares at a price of $3.30 per share in cash. This tender offer would not be dependent on Sprint's participation, but would be subject to a number of conditions, including DISH: (i) acquiring no less than 25% of the fully-diluted shares of Clearwire, (ii) being granted the right to designate Clearwire board members commensurate with its pro forma ownership percentage, (iii) receiving certain minority protections, including the right to approve material changes to Clearwire's organizational documents, change of control and material transactions with related parties (unless these transactions were approved by an independent committee of the Clearwire board and, if over a certain threshold, supported by a written fairness opinion from a nationally recognized investment bank) and (iv) receiving preemptive rights. In addition, the DISH Proposal would require Clearwire to terminate the note purchase agreement under which Sprint has agreed to provide interim financing to Clearwire and is conditional upon the consummation of the spectrum purchase and Clearwire being in compliance with the commercial agreement (both as described above).
Spectrum Purchase Price Funding. DISH would pre-fund the Spectrum Purchase Price within three business days of signing through a senior Unsecured PIK Debenture (the "PIK Debenture") bearing PIK interest at a rate of 6% per annum in the event the Spectrum Assets are sold to DISH or 12% per annum otherwise. Clearwire would be obligated to either apply the proceeds of the pre-funding to reduce outstanding long-term debt through the redemption or repurchase of the 2015 Senior Secured Notes and 2016 Senior Secured Notes of Clearwire Communications LLC or, in the event that a portion of the Network Build Financing described below is unavailable due to the failure to receive shareholder approval, to use an equivalent portion of the proceeds of the PIK Debenture to fund network build-out costs; in that case, any future make up draws on the Network Build Financing following shareholder approval would be applied to reduce debt as provided in this sentence. If Spectrum Assets are not acquired due to a failure to obtain required regulatory approvals, Clearwire would, within 30 days following termination of the spectrum purchase agreement, repay the PIK Debenture plus interest at 6% per annum. If Clearwire is unable to repay the PIK Debenture during this 30 day period, it would be entitled to convert the principal amount and accrued interest on the PIK Debenture into a note on terms comparable to the 2015 Senior Secured Notes previously repaid, having a maturity of December 1, 2015.
Network Build Financing. DISH proposes to provide additional capital to fund a portion of Clearwire's network build-out through a credit facility for the purchase of exchangeable notes on substantially similar terms to those which Sprint has agreed to provide, subject to cancellation of the Sprint Financing Agreements (as described below).
Deal Protections. DISH expects appropriate deal protections, including a 5-day match right, similar to those included in the Sprint Agreement. DISH would match Clearwire's termination rights as provided for in the Sprint transaction (including the possible forgiveness of a portion of the exchangeable notes upon certain termination events).
Sprint Financing. DISH has indicated that the proposal will be withdrawn if Clearwire draws on the financing under the Sprint Financing Agreements.
In connection with the Sprint Agreement, Clearwire and Sprint also entered into agreements that provide up to $800 million of additional financing to Clearwire in the form of exchangeable notes, which will be exchangeable under certain conditions for Clearwire common stock at $1.50 per share, subject to adjustment under certain conditions (the "Sprint Financing Agreements"). Under the Sprint Financing Agreements, Sprint has agreed to purchase, at Clearwire's option, $80 million of exchangeable notes per month for up to 10 months beginning on January 2, 2013. The DISH Proposal indicates that it will be withdrawn if Clearwire draws on the financing under the Sprint Financing Agreements. As a result, in order to allow the Special Committee to evaluate the DISH Proposal, at the direction of the Special Committee, Clearwire has revoked its initial draw notice and has not received the first $80 million under the Sprint Financing Agreements. The Special Committee has not made any determination with respect to any future draws under the Sprint Financing Agreements.
Summary of Sprint Response to DISH Proposal
In response to the DISH Proposal, Clearwire has received a letter from Sprint stating, among other things, that Sprint has reviewed the DISH Proposal and believes that it is illusory, inferior to the Sprint transaction and not viable because it cannot be implemented in light of Clearwire's current legal and contractual obligations. Sprint has stated that the Sprint Agreement would prohibit Clearwire from entering into agreements for much of the DISH Proposal. The following is a summary of Sprint's statements in its letter regarding the material terms of the DISH Proposal:
Spectrum Purchase. Sprint has stated that, under the Sprint Agreement, Clearwire is prohibited from selling the Spectrum Assets without Sprint's consent. In addition, Sprint has stated that Clearwire is further subject to various requirements under its commercial agreements with Sprint and the Equityholders' Agreement applicable to selling Spectrum Assets, even if the Merger Agreement were not in place.
Commercial Agreement. Sprint has stated that, under the Merger Agreement, Clearwire is prohibited from entering into the commercial agreement proposed by DISH so long as the Merger Agreement is in place.
Acquisition of Clearwire Shares. Sprint has stated that the DISH Proposal may constitute a change of control under the Equityholders' Agreement, which would require the affirmative vote of 75% of the issued and outstanding shares of Clearwire's stock. Sprint has stated it would not vote in favor of the proposed transaction with DISH.
Governance. Sprint has stated that (i) it would be impermissible under Clearwire's current Equityholders' Agreement for Clearwire to agree to nominate DISH's designees to the Clearwire Board, (ii) it would be impermissible under the Equityholders' Agreement for Clearwire to create a new independent committee of the Clearwire Board and (iii) under Delaware law, certain governance rights requested by DISH (including the request for proportionate board representation) cannot be granted by Clearwire in a manner that does not require amendment of the certificate of incorporation or consent of Sprint to a shareholder agreement embodying what DISH has requested.
Funding. Among other arguments, Sprint has stated that the complex financing provisions of the DISH Proposal must also be considered in light of the existing Clearwire contractual arrangements (including debt arrangements) and that it is not clear from Sprint's review that such financing is permitted by or would comply with Clearwire's existing arrangements. In addition, Sprint has stated that Sprint and the other parties to the Equityholders' Agreement would have preemptive rights with respect to any issuance of exchangeable notes by Clearwire as contemplated by the DISH Proposal, and any issuance of such notes may also require Clearwire stockholder approval in accordance with the NASDAQ listing requirements.
Sprint Financing. Sprint has stated that it is concerned with Clearwire's failure to consummate the January 2 tranche of funding under the Sprint Financing Agreements, that it does not believe Clearwire's initial draw notice was revocable and that it has reserved its rights relating thereto.
Process
The Special Committee will, consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors, continue to evaluate the DISH Proposal and the letter from Sprint and discuss them with each of DISH and Sprint, as appropriate. The Special Committee and Clearwire will pursue the course of action that is in the best interests of Clearwire's non-Sprint Class A stockholders. Neither Clearwire nor the Special Committee has any further comment on this matter at this time.
Evercore Partners is acting as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLPis acting as counsel to Clearwire. Centerview Partners is acting as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. are acting as counsel to Clearwire's special committee.
About Clearwire
Clearwire Corporation, through its operating subsidiaries, is a leading provider of 4G wireless broadband services offering services in areas of the U.S. where more than 130 million people live. The company holds the deepest portfolio of wireless spectrum available for data services in the U.S. Clearwire serves retail customers through its own CLEAR®brand as well as through wholesale relationships with some of the leading companies in the retail, technology and telecommunications industries, including Sprint and NetZero. The company is constructing a next-generation 4G LTE Advanced-ready network to address the capacity needs of the market, and is also working closely with the Global TDD-LTE Initiative to further the TDD-LTE ecosystem. Clearwire is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. Additional information is available athttp://www.clearwire.com .
The Clearwire Corporation logo is available athttp://www.globenews...prs/?pkgid=8493
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. The words "may," "could," "should," "estimate," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "target," "plan," "providing guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify information that is not historical in nature.
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the proposed merger and related transactions (the "transaction") between Sprint and Clearwire. All statements, other than historical facts, including statements regarding the expected timing of the closing of the transaction; the ability of the parties to complete the transaction considering the various closing conditions; the expected benefits and synergies of the transaction; the competitive ability and position of Sprint and Clearwire; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing, are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon current plans, estimates and expectations that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The inclusion of such statements should not be regarded as a representation that such plans, estimates or expectations will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such plans, estimates or expectations include, among others, any conditions imposed in connection with the transaction, approval of the transaction by Clearwire stockholders, the satisfaction of various other conditions to the closing of the transaction contemplated by the merger agreement, and other factors discussed in Clearwire's and Sprint's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for their respective fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, their other respective filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and the proxy statement and other materials that will be filed with the SEC by Clearwire in connection with the transaction. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed, or if it is completed, that it will close within the anticipated time period or that the expected benefits of the transaction will be realized.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the transaction, Clearwire will file a proxy statement and other materials with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CLEARWIRE AND THE TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents (when they are available) and other documents filed with the SEC at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents filed by Clearwire with the SEC may be obtained free of charge by contacting Clearwire at Clearwire, Attn: Investor Relations, (425) 505-6494. Clearwire's filings with the SEC are also available on its website at http://www.clearwire.com .
Participants in the Solicitation
Clearwire and its officers and directors and Sprint and its officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Clearwire stockholders with respect to the transaction. Information about Clearwire officers and directors and their ownership of Clearwire common shares is set forth in the proxy statement for Clearwire's 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 30, 2012. Information about Sprint officers and directors is set forth in Sprint's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, which was filed with the SEC on February 27, 2012. Investors and security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the direct and indirect interests of the participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the transaction by reading the preliminary and definitive proxy statements regarding the transaction, which will be filed by Clearwire with the SEC.
CONTACT: Media Contacts:
Susan Johnston, (425) 505-6178
susan.johnston@clearwire.com
JLM Partners for Clearwire
Mike DiGioia or Jeremy Pemble, (206) 381-3600
mike@jlmpartners.com or jeremy@jlmpartners.com
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher for Clearwire
Joele Frank or Andy Brimmer, (212) 355-4449
Investor Contacts:
Alice Ryder, (425) 505-6494
alice.ryder@clearwire.com
MacKenzie Partners for Clearwire
Dan Burch or Laurie Connell, (212) 929-5500
dburch@mackenziepartners.com or lconnell@mackenziepartners.com
Source: Clearwire Corporation 2013 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

So as most of you know, the FCC recently approved the deal to allow Clearwire, and sprint merge together to enhance sprint`s wireless experience. The merger between these two companies means that sprint will be able to take advantage of clearwire`s large swath of 2.5 Ghz spectrum, and eventually use it to enhance their LTE network. Also with this deal, sprint will become more competitive with bigger wireless companies such as Verizon wireless, or AT&T. Verizon is one of the carriers that has 10 x 10 Ghz blocks of spectrum deployed on most sites, meaning more spectrum available on these towers. With all this being said, Clearwire will now have the appropriate amount of funds to continue thier deployment of TD-LTE on the 2.5 Ghz spectrum, and eventually, sprint plans to use Clearwire`s LTE network to offload excessive data traffic off of Sprint`s LTE network, meaning excessive users on one LTE tower will be transfered over to Clearwires LTE network, where available, making towers less loaded down with data access. But in order for the offloading to work on phones, sprint will have to talk with phone manufacturers to create a dual-LTE phone with two seperate LTE radios (one for sprint`s LTE network, and one for clearwire`s LTE network.). But all this being said, one problem lies ahead of this possible LTE offloading plan. Sprint also stated that they are shutting down their iDEN network running on the 800Mhz SMR spectrum, and they will recycle it to be used with deploying LTE over the 800Mhz SMR spectrum instead, which will mean better geographical reach to more customers. But for that to happen, phone manufacturers will have to create an LTE radio that supports both spectrums of sprint`s LTE network, as well as a seperate LTE radio that will be used with Clearwire`s planned LTE deployment on the 2.5 Ghz spectrum. so The main question here is: Will the merger between sprint and clearwire be hurtful or helpful to sprint?

Oops, sorry for the repost. :-(
Sprint buys majority control of Clearwire
Top Stories | Updated 1h 56m ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Sprint is buying out the founder of Clearwire to gain majority control of the wireless network operator.
Sprint's move follows a pledge by Japan's Softbank to infuse Sprint with cash by buying a majority stake in it.
In a regulatory filing Thursday, Sprint Nextel said it will pay wireless pioneer Craig McCaw and his holding company $100 million for a 5 % stake in Clearwire, pushing Sprint's stake above 50%.
Clearwire has the right to use a large share of the nation's airwaves, but lacks the money to renovate and expand its network.
Sprint has been struggling financially too, and hasn't been in a position to invest in Clearwire until Monday's announcement that Japanese cellphone company Softbank would buy 70% of Sprint for $20 billion.
Source: http://usat.ly/RGrULb

FreedomPop announced today that they now have an agreement with Sprint to use their 3G and LTE network. They will initially launch using Clearwire's WiMax network. By the end of the year FreedomPop will start deploying sleeves with Sprint's 3G and LTE support. In 2013 FreedomPop will stop using Clearwire's network for Sprint's but may go back to Clearwire for extra capacity. For more info go to the following link: http://gigaom.com/mobile/mvno-freedompop-swaps-clearwires-wimax-for-sprints-lte/

I recently read an article saying Clearwire is starting a major move to LTE. With an expected reach of 5000 base stations in mid-2013 and another 3000 soon afterwards. My question is why. Why only deploy 8000 base stations. Lightsquared just failed in getting a new nationwide network built. This is Cleariwire's time to shine. Clearwire cloud easily sign all partners of Lightsquared to new deals. Then Clearwire can possibly make a network sharing deal with Sprint similar to the one made with Lightsquared. This would give Sprint more capacity which we know Sprint will need and offer a major threat to the big two, Verizon and AT&T. Why not Clearwire, why not?

Jeff Foster
Sprint 4G Rollout Update
Saturday, March 24, 2012 - 12:18 PM MDT
The forerunner of Clearwire was a Texas based company then known as Clearwire Technologies, Inc. Clearwire Technologies raised at least $100 million and used it to acquire spectrum allocated to various educational institutions known as EBS or Educational Broadband Service.
In 2007, Clearwire and Sprint Nextel announced a partnership to accelerate deployment of WiMAX technology across the US. In 2008, Sprint's new CEO Dan Hesse started serious discussions about forming a joint venture between the two companies in the hopes of bringing in outside funding. Sprint owns 54% of the firm; a consortium of Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Intel, Google and Bright House Networks investing $3.2 billion and owning the balance.
Jump to today, and CLEAR 4G is available in 35 of the top 40 MSAs in the country covering 130 million people. Clearwire has had its shares of setbacks in the past several years with the promise of WiMax fading and the explosive growth of the newest 4G standard – LTE. Even with this impediment, Clearwire has something to crow about.
Clearwire TD-LTE is headed to some of the highest demand areas first
Clearwire CFO Hope Cochran, speaking at a conference sponsored by Goldman Sachs, said her company has the resources that even the top national wireless carriers should envy. Cochran pointed out that Clearwire's network usage jumped more than 700% in 2011. The important thing to note here is that most of that data torrent was driven not by new subscribers, but by existing subscribers greatly increasing their data usage. "Customers are finding more applications and downloading more videos," she said.
This, according to Cochran, will be the Achilles' heel for AT&T and Verizon, as well as for Sprint.
Sprint will launch its LTE network in mid-2012. Cochran estimates that the LTE network that Sprint will deploy will be able to handle only 5.6 terabytes of data per site per year. AT&T and Verizon, which operate in a different frequency range, will have 22 terabytes per site per year capacity.
Clearwire's network carries 22 terabytes today. The company has ~16,000 WiMax cell sites and about one-half of them carry 80 percent to 90 percent of Clearwire's network traffic. Clearwire plans to overlay its WiMAX network with around 8,000 TD-LTE cell sites--Cochran said the move would allow Clearwire to put LTE capacity in areas where its network usage is the greatest.
Come and get it boys! Soup's on!!!
Clearwire is anticipating to have a tremendous amount of surplus capacity available. So when the big carriers run out of their capacity -- and Cochran thinks that will be sooner rather than later -- the big mobile carriers will have few options other than to divert their LTE traffic to Clearwire's network.
Clearwire's future is still very much dependent on its relationship with Sprint. If Clearwire can manage to keep its head above water until more regionals, and ultimately Verizon and AT&T reach the end of their spectrum, the network may indeed be able to reap rewards from the insatiable needs of the major carriers' subscribers.
As Cochran told the conference, "We see our own trends, and that is the appetite for data is tremendous."
Sources: Fierce Wireless, Fool.com, Wikipedia

Clearwire says that usage on their network increased 705% year over year in 2011!
(Via Fiercewireless):
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/clearwire-usage-our-network-increased-705-year-over-year/2012-03-22

after seeing some of the photos of some of the towers out there and knowing what mine looks like I figured I'd post up a few shots of mine since i can get pretty close to it. Mine(crown castle site)personally looks like its used by everyone under the sun, but also is one of few ive seen that has old looking semi buildings next to it...
Tower has WiMax and had it for a long long long time ever since I bought the EVO4G on launch day, though i didn't see anything marked "Clearwire"....
If you save this pic and zoom in it looks like a complete cluster fk up there. lol
This one you can see the ATT cabinet there on the left there are 2 of those.
Heres a view of the 2 sprint cabinets with much less branding on them compared to the ATT ones...
here is the only marking on the cabinet..."Site ID: RA03XC040"
And here I thought this was funny. "SPRINT" labled on these two posts here at the top of the hill...Can only think this is for the future "band-aid" T1 lines run thats supposed to be done by next month....
I noticed no microwave radome's here so whenever NV rollout comes through my area it will be very interesting to see how this changes if there is a fiber run tot he tower or if they add the first radome to it...
Whats funny is that even though I can see the tower shown above from my house as its within about 0.7mi but sometimes I end up picking up this lil tower here thats about double the distance away...
both spit out the same sub 300kbps EVDO speeds during the day if that at all...lol, NV cant come any sooner!! :)

(Via Bloomberg)
Sprint Will Raise $2 Billion in Debt, May Use to Fund Partner Clearwire
By Scott Moritz and Sapna Maheshwari - Feb 27, 2012 5:01 PM CT[/color]
Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), the third- largest U.S. wireless operator, said it plans to sell $2 billion in notes to help pay for refinancing, network upgrades and possible funding for its wireless partnerClearwire Corp. (CLWR)
Sprint will sell notes due in 2017 and 2020 through a private placement, according to a statement today. The sale, to be completed March 1, includes five-year notes at 9.13 percent and eight-year debt, which will be guaranteed by Sprint units, at 7 percent, the Overland Park, Kansas-based company said later in a separate statement included in a regulatory filing.
Sprint raised $4 billion through a debt offering in November to help with network spending and financing for Clearwire. The return trip to capital markets shows Sprint is raising cash to cover the growing costs of upgrading its wireless network to higher-speed technology and selling mobile devices that require subsidies, such as Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone. Sprint, which has lost money for the last five years, is struggling to compete against larger rivals AT&T Inc. andVerizon Wireless.
MetroPCS Abandoned
The move comes after Sprint’s board voted down a possible acquisition of the smallerMetroPCS Communications Inc. (PCS), a person familiar with the plan said last week. The board decided the stock and cash transaction, which may have cost as much as $8 billion including debt, would have been too expensive given the current level of Sprint’s stock price.
Sprint rose 3.2 percent to $2.55 at the close in New York. The stock has dropped 41 percent in the past 12 months.
The carrier has a four-year $15.5 billion commitment to pay Apple for the iPhone and in its annual report filed today, Sprint says it has $29.5 billion in additional payment commitments though 2017.
Sprint is graded B1 with a “negative” outlook by Moody’s Investors Service and an equivalent B+, also with a “negative” outlook by Standard & Poor’s, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The last time Sprint sold eight-year notes was in August 2009, when it issued $1.3 billion of 8.375 percent securities due in August 2017, Bloomberg data show. The debt was assigned a Ba2 from Moody’s at the time.
Today’s eight-year debt is expected to have a Ba3 grade and BB- from S&P, said the person with knowledge of the offering. The five-year debt, which is not guaranteed, is expected to be rated B3 by Moody’s and B+ by S&P, the person said.
The securities due August 2017 traded at 98.3 cents on the dollar to yield 8.78 percent as of 1:01 p.m. in New York, according to Trace, the bond-price reporting system of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

There are a few places that have coverage, but for some reason do not show up on Clear's Coverage Maps. I have added this sticky forum post to keep track of them. I will update this note as they appear (or disappear).
Cloquet, Minnesota. The tower went live back in March 2011. It was initiallly on Clear's maps, but disappeared. The tower was recently confirmed as still operational, though not showing. You can view some of the coverage from Sensorly Android users at http://sensorly.com
Allentown, Pennsylvania. I received an e-mail back in July that someone was able to get a WiMax signal just south of Bethlehem. Also, a poster in the official Sprint forums mentioned they received a WiMax signal on the south side of Allentown. Also, Sensorly.com shows one blip of WiMax coverage being reported. However, recent comments from folks in the area cannot substantiate this phantom site. Let me know if you are able to connect to it.
POSSIBLE OTHER PHANTOM SITES:
Fallbrook, California. A blips appears on Sensorly's site along I-15 near the CA-76 exit, SE of Fallbrook towards Paia. Looking for confirmation that there is a signal in this location.
Moreno Valley, California. A blip appears on Sensorly's site on I-215 on the west side of Moreno Valley near Edgemont. Looking for verification that this is real coverage from a protection site.
Perris, California. A double blip of coverage has shown up on Sensorly on the I-215 corridor through Perris. Looking for verification of this protection site.
Eaton Rapids/Springport, Michigan. In a remote spot between the South Central Michigan towns of Eaton Rapids and Springport, a blip of coverage is hown up on Sensorly's maps. Is this a legit prptection site? Or a GPS malfunction?
Hobbs, New Mexico. This town is not showing on Clear's coverage maps, but there was a mysterious blip that showed up on Sensorly a few miles west of town. Looking for confirmation if any Sprint 4G users go through this area. Could be a GPS error on the device that reported it to Sensorly.
Rocky Mount/Wilson Regional Airport, North Carolina. There is definitely confirmed Protection Sites in the cities of Rocky Mount and Wilson. However, there is a blip along I-95 that has shown up on Sensorly near the Rocky Mount/Wilson Regional Airport. This area would be out of range of the other two towers. Is this a Phantom Site not shown on Clear's Coverage Maps?
Milford, Texas. Right along I-35E, between Dallas and Hillsboro, a blip of coverage is showing up on Sensorly's website, that is not shown on Clear's coverage maps. Looking for confirmation of this site.
HISTORY:
Des Moines, Iowa. In November 2011, Des Moines was removed from the list. The two WiMax towers there have re-appeared back on the coverage maps at clear.com.
Ventura/Oxnard, California. In October 2011, Ventura and Oxnard were removed from the list. The one WiMax tower there has appeared on the coverage maps at clear.com.
Asbury Park, New Jersey. Removed from the list when coverage showed up on the evening of September 12th on Clear.com's website.
Houghton/Hancock, Michigan. The twin burgs were removed from the list when they reaopeared back on Clear's Coverage Maps on August 16th, after being gone for 2 months.
Kankakee, Illinois. Coverage finally showed up on coverage maps the evening of July 27th. Thanks to Rai Diaz who discovered this operating cell before Clear even showed it on their map!!!
In early July, the tower in Fortuna Foothills, Arizona (just east of Yuma) disappeared from coverage. However, it re-appeared on July 26th. On one message board, it said that it was taken down temporarily because it interfered with an operator in Mexico and now has been rectified. I have been unable to confirm this mystery.

Migrated from Original Forum. Originally Posted 24 July 2011
What are Protection Sites?
by Sprint 4G Rollout Updates on Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 10:01am
You keep reading around S4GRU about "Protection Sites." But what are protection sites, you ask?
Sprint broadcasts it's 4G WiMax signal on 2.5GHz-2.65GHz (along with it's partner Clear/Clearwire). That's up to 150MHz of spectrum (variable by market). More than any other carrier in the country.
Before 2007, 2.5GHz-2.65GHz was allocated by the FCC as EBS and BRS spectrum (Educational Broadband Service/Broadcast Radio Service). EBS was used by any public education organization free of charge on a first come, first served basis. However, this spectrum was relatively little used. At it's peak, only 100 education institutions actually utilized the spectrum for educational purposes. Most actually leased their spectrum to Clearwire for their pre-WiMax network.
This was deemed a huge waste of spectrum by the FCC (and it was). When you consider the entire population of the U.S. and the total data capacity of the EBS spectrum, it was not even 1/100th of 1% utilized!
In 2004, the FCC decided to reallocate the EBS/BRS spectrum for mobile internet and gave notice to the EBS/BRS license holders that in 2007 they would be repurposing the spectrum. EBS license holders could reapply with the broadband carriers in the 2007 reallotment. It was a confusing mess. In reality in the way it was structured, EBS spectrum winners were subleasing spectrum from the schools and universities. BRS spectrum licenses were purchased outright.
In 2007 the EBS spectrum went out for bid. Two bidders ended up with the lion's share of the 150MHz of spectrum...Sprint and Clearwire. Sprint ending up with 60MHz of nationwide coverage. Clearwire with 90MHz of nationwide coverage. One of the conditions to the bidders is a clause called "Minimum Coverage Standards."
For the EBS Spectrum, the FCC breaks up the 50 States and U.S. Territories into approx. 500 Basic Trading Areas, or BTA's (In other wireless spectrum, they use CMA's, or Cellular Market Areas). They use these to manage licenses for EBS spectrum. Licenses for each BTA are good for 10 years upon issuance. At 10 year intervals, they need to be renewed. At renewal, service provided is evaluated by the FCC. 99% of all renewals are approved. Some carriers have spectrum in all the BTA's (or CMA's). Some only have regions. Some have regions in one set of spectrum and other regions in other sections. It can be very messy and confusing to track FCC licenses.
In 2008, Sprint and Clearwire received FCC approval and merged their EBS/BRS spectrum holdings into a singular holding of the 150MHz block and formed the joint-venture company Clear.
Back to the Minimum Coverage Standards. The FCC mandated that a minimally acceptable amount of coverage be in every BTA by May 1, 2011. Clearwire started rolling out protection sites in earnest in early 2011. However, did not meet the Minimum Coverage Standards in all BTA's by May 1st, and started filing for extensions.
Any winning bidder who did not provide minimally acceptable service within a BTA, will be subject to having the license revoked and the original license holder will be unable to ever regain it.
This is very strong language about revocation. Minimum acceptable coverage to the FCC for this spectrum is:
30% of the BTA's Population Has Useable Service, or...
50% of the Geographical Area (Square Mileage) of the BTA has Useable Service.
If one of these two items is met, then the license holder has met the Minimum Acceptable Coverage Standards required by the FCC for the EBS spectrum.
Sprint/Clear 4G Basic Trading Area (BTA) Map showing all 500 BTA's in the U.S. The ones in green have at least (1) Sprint/Clear 4G tower in operation. The ones in white have no Clearwire service in operation.
In the map above, you can see all the 500 BTA's in the United States. What Sprint/Clear have decided was to put up at least one tower every in every BTA in the country. So in 2011, they broke from the conventional rollout. They are deploying "Protection Sites" in all the BTA's. These are sites intended to keep the FCC at bay with the intention of trying to meet minimum acceptable service to maintain licensing.
It appears that in larger population BTA's (250k+), they are deploying more than one protection site to meet the 30% population coverage minimum.
Sprint/Clear are well on their way to being complete with the BTA Protection Site rollout before the end of 2011. They are averaging about 7 to 10 towers per week. So largely the areas in white will all be filled in green in short order. There will be a few exceptions. BTA's that have Clearwire's Pre-WiMax technology (like Reno, Dayton and Anchorage) will not receive protection sites. They already meet the FCC Minimum Coverage Requirements as the Pre-WiMax is broadcast on the same 2.5GHz spectrum.
Most likely, the FCC will not give Sprint/Clear any grief over the minimum service clauses because they are attempting to do something. The clause is largely to prevent people from buying the spectrum and just sitting on it as an investment. The FCC really wants it just to be used. Most likely, the extension for Minimum Coverages will be given.
The service requirements on the 700MHz spectrum are far more stringent than they were on the 2.5GHz spectrum. Verizon, AT&T and MetroPCS have less time to roll out. And the terminology used in it's FCC licensing doesn't have vague words like "minimum acceptable", but rather "substantial coverage."